Buoyant life-saving jacket



Jan, 13,

J. A. JOHNSON BUOYANT LIFE SAVING JACKET Filed Jan. '7. 41924 PatentedJan. 13, 1925.

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JOHN A. JOHNSON, OF DULUTH, MINNESOTA.

BUOYANT LIFE-SAVING JACKET.

Application filed January 7, 1924. Serial No. 684,766.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that JOHN A. JoHNsoN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Duluth, in the county of St. Louis and State of Minnesota,has invented certain new and useful Improvements in Buoyant Life-SavingJackets, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is in the way of a buoyant life saving jacket, and theobject is to provide in a simple and practical form such a jacket thatmay be used as a life preserver when on board steamers or other watercraft, or may be used as an aid to swimmers in lieu of water wings orthe like.

In the drawing-- Figure 1 is a View of the jacket when opened out;

Figure 2 is a View of the jacket as fitted upon a person and ready foruse;

Figure 3 is a view of the jacket in use by a. swimmer;

Figure 4 is a detail of the pocket strips;

Figure 5 is a section through one of the pocket strips.

In carrying out this invention, I provide a jacket comprising a breastsection 1 and a back section 2. The said sections 1 and 2 are made ofstrips of duck or light canvas, or other flexible water-proof materialin the form of pocket strips 3 and 4. The pocket strips 3 have a seriesof narrow pockets 5 formed therein, leaving at spaced intervals bands asshown at 6 for a purpose to be later explained. At the sides of thepocket strips 3 and for the full length of the same, edges 7 are left.The pocket strips 4 also have a series of narrow pockets 8 formedtherein, and bands 9 corresponding to the bands 6 of the pocket strips 3are left at equally spaced intervals, corresponding to the intervals ofthe pocket strips 3. Edges 10 are left at one side of the pocket strips4 to permit the said pocket strips 4 to be stitched or otherwise securedto the pocket strips 3. The pocket strips 4 are relatively shorter thanthe said pocket strips 3 and have sleeve recesses 11 formed in theirupper portions 12.

The lower port-ions 13 of the pocket strips 3 and 4 are comparativelystraight. The upper portions 14 of the said pocket strips 3 are cut outto conform to the neck of the wearer, so as to enable the wearer to wearthe jacket high enough to permit the chin to rest on the pockets 5located in the upper portion 14 of the pocket strip 3, to facilitatekeeping the head above the water. Straps 15 are secured to the portions14 of the pocket strips 3, and to one of the sides of the pocket strips4, to permit the breast section 1 and the back section 2 to be strappedtogether. Eyelets 16 are pierced through the edges and 10, and strings17 are passed through the said eyelets l6 and secured to the lowerportions 13 of the pocket strips 3 and 4, to enable the wearer to foldthe said jacket when desired for swimming, as shown in Figure 3. Thebands 6 and 9 are provided to facilitate the folding. lVhen folding thejacket, the straps 15 are to be untied, except the straps on the upperportions 14 of the pocket strips 3 and the straps 15 on the lowerportions 13 of the pocket strips 4. The straps 15 on the lower portions13 of the pocket strips 4 come below the arm pits when folded, yetleaving the arms of the wearer free; the strings 17 are then to be tiedtogether to hold the folded jacket in place. The pockets 5 and 8 may befilled with granulated cork, kapok fibre, or some similar lightfloatable substance.

While I have herein described a certain specific manner and method ofconstructing and assembling the elements of my invention, it isunderstood that I may vary from the same in minor details, not departingfrom the spirit of my invention, so as best to construct a practicaldevice for the purpose intended, as defined in the appended claim.

I claim:

A buoyant jacket, comprising foldab le breast and back sections formedof pocket strips connected by spacing bands, the said pocket stripsincluding pockets adapted for holding a buoyant substance; means forsecuring the sections in expanded position upon the breast and back ofthe wearer; and means for securing the sections in folded position atthe sides of the wearer.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

JOHN A. JOHNSON.

WVitnesses:

A. M. Down, R. A. BULTAS.

